Skilled Worker visa – Requirements, Apply, Extend and Switch

• What is Skilled Worker Visa?
• Success Rate
• Book Our services Online
• Switching
• Required Points
• Eligibility requirements
• English language requirement
• Maintenance Requirement
• Application forms
• Home Office Fees
• List of Documents
• Processing time

Introduction

Skilled Worker visa replaced Tier 2 (General) work visa on 1 December 2020. This work visa is equally suitable for EU and non-EU citizens. The employers approved by the Home Office can sponsor employees from any country of the world. The employees must be paid minimum salary or going rate for their job role whichever is higher. The minimum salary for a skilled worker visa is £25,600. The jobs in shortage occupation lists have lower thresholds for salary. After Brexit, EU citizens will need to compete with their counterparts from the rest of the world including Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.

Verify our Registration on the UK Government website. We are Regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC, Home Office, UK). Registration Number: F201100207.

Visa Approvals for Our Clients- Success Stories

We have gathered some skilled worker visa (formerly called Tier 2 General Visa) approvals and in other work visa categories which have been abolished by the Home Office such as Tier 1 General and Highly Skilled Migrant Programme HSMP.

Services we offer

Service	Description	Fixed Fees
Book Full Application Preparation & Submission Service (You should have a valid Cos)	Our Comprehensive service, used by most of the clients. All work covered from start to the end (to the point of decision on the visa application). One fixed fee, no hidden charges or costs whatsoever. Allocated caseworker. The Fees is for the first applicant. An additional dependant pays discounted fee when applying together with the main applicant. √ Full advice about all queries related to visa application √ List of documents for your immigration application √ Fully prepare and complete the application form √ Pay visa fees and other applicable fees on your behalf – Of course you will reimburse us for any disbursements √ Submit the application form and application as registered immigration representative firm √ Upload all the documents or submit to the Home Office by post √ Book Bio-metrics appointment to capture your fingerprints and photo at one of the visa application centre √ Continuous advice from the day one until a decision is made by the embassy or Home Office. More details of our full application service.	£600
Book Employee Assessment for Skilled Worker Visa	An assessment to ascertain the eligibility, process to make application and answer to the questions you raise about this visa. No VAT, no hidden charges. Allocated caseworker. To know if you are likely to be eligible, we can make a full assessment for fixed fee. The assessment covers your eligibility, procedure to make an application and answer to the queries you raised about skilled worker visa.	£600

Switch to this visa

You are allowed to switch into Skilled Worker Visa in long term categories. You can not switch from short term visas. For example, you can not switch if you are in the UK on a visit visa. 

Points Required for Skilled Worker Visa

The applicant must score 50 mandatory points to qualify for the worker visa as a skilled worker for UK.

• A Valid Certificate of Sponsorship 20 Points
• Job at an appropriate skilled level 20 Points
• English Language Skills at CEFR Level B1 10 Points

Qualify for a Skilled Worker Visa

• Sponsor by an approved employer. The Home Office gives approval and licences
• Have certificate of sponsorship from your employer showing job role and  job code
• Job must be on the list of eligible occupations
• Be paid a minimum salary- salary varies from job to job- the minimum salary £25600

Knowledge of English Requirement for Skilled Worker Visa

You can speak English at the intermediate level at B1 (on the Common European Framework of Reference for languages)
Passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider or
GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English
A degree-level academic qualification that was taught in English – if you studied abroad, you’ll need to apply for confirmation through UK NARIC that your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD

Maintenance Requirement- Money to support yourself

You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK. The money should have been in the bank account for at least 28 days within 31 days before applying for a skilled worker visa. You also need:

• £285 for your partner
• £315 for a child
• £200 for each additional child

Example
You, your partner and two children would need to have £2070 to come to the UK (£1270 for you, £285 for your partner, £315 for your first child and £200 for second child).

Application forms for skilled worker visa

The applicants from outside the UK must use the Application Form Skilled Worker Visa and applicants from inside the UK use the Form Skilled Worker. The same forms applicable to the EU Citizens in addition to the facility of Skilled Immigration: ID Check App of the Home Office which can downloaded from the Google Play and Apple Store.

Home Office Fees of Skilled Worker Visa

Visa Fee for Skilled Worker from inside UK 

For up to 3 years visa £827
For more than 3 years visa £1500  
NHS Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) £624 per person per year

Visa Fee for Skilled Worker from outside UK
For up to 3 years visa £719
For more than 3 years visa £1420  
NHS Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) £624 per person per year

For example, you apply for a skilled worker visa with your partner for three years, you will pay £1220 for visa fees and National Health Service- Health Surcharge £3744 (£1872 for you  and the same amount for your wife). The total cost of the will be £4964.

List of Required Documents for Skilled Worker Visa 

The certificate of sponsorship (Cos) reference number – your employer will give you this
Evidence of knowledge of English
A valid passport
Employment contract containing your job title and annual salary
Occupation code of your job
Details of employer name and their sponsor licence number issued by the Home Office – CoS will have these details
Evidence of savings or maintenance to support you and your family (Bank statements). If employer certify maintenance then bank statements are not required
Evidence of relationship (applies only when partner and dependants are also applying)
TB Test from authorised medical centres
A criminal record certificate – if you’re working in education, healthcare and social care. If you’re 28 or over, you’ll need a certificate from any country you’ve stayed in over the last 10 years.

Processing time for Skilled Worker Visa

The applicants normally get decision on their applications:

Within three (4) weeks if apply from outside the UK
Within eight (8) weeks if apply from inside the UK

Complex applications (such as with adverse immigration history) could take longer than expected. In particular, appointments for Biometrics can be difficult to get in some countries.

---